The Street Performer: Dancer Equipment Guide for the Stingy of Wallet
Category:Guides __NOEDITSECTION__ Disclaimer DISCLAIMER #1: I am from San d'Oria and race Hume, so the guide is slightly biased towards Sandy CP and Quest Items as well as Hume RSE gear. As the guide approaches completion I will research more on the viability of Quest and CP items from other nations as well as the usefulness of the other race's RSE. However, this guide was specifically written to equip the poor and needy (hey, no shame in that, I'm one of them) and as such is NOT a comprehensive, all-inclusive guide of everything Dancer can wear. DISCLAIMER #2: As much as I try to keep costs to a minimum to help save your wallet, equipment prices WILL increase dramatically as you get to higher levels. Sad but unalterable fact of MMOs. Luckily for you, a lot of the Mid to high level DNC daggers still remain fairly cheap, but body pieces and accessories, most notably, take a high jump in prices starting from the mid-levels. If you cannot even afford the standard equipment for higher levels, please, do everyone a favor and stop leveling DNC. Unlike normal melees Dancers are relied on to back up or even main heal, and without decent ACC gear in the higher levels you will not be able to land a hit or gain enough TP to do this. DISCLAIMER #3: This guide was written with the general DNC in mind, it is not meant for Dancers who choose to tank or sub mage jobs. For those, you will need a specialized set of equipment that is not included in this guide. ' Notes *First off you will probably notice right off the bat that the level divisions are kinda wonky. Why not have it separated into nice 10-level chunks all the way to 75? Hold yer horses, there is a reason for this. I do this because key equipment changes occur at specific levels, and I tend to break it up according to these levels so you can do your equipment upgrades all at once. *Secondly, if you have been leveling Dancer for awhile now, you have probably noticed the extreme lack of gear available to Dancers. We can wear about half of what Thieves and White Mages can equip, and a limited portion of normal DD equipment, but half of those again are items that either give no stat enhancements or are otherwise useless. This means that oftentimes, you will be wearing the same set of equipment for a lot longer than anyone else (Battle gloves, anyone?). However, this does NOT necessarily mean you are gimp, merely that there is simply no better alternative available to Dancers that is not a rare/ex drop or otherwise hard to get (e.g. CoP Rajas ring), and if someone tries to tell you that you're being gimp for still wearing Battle gloves at level forty-some (which you will be) then tell them to either STFU or go whine to SE to do something about it. *'Notes on Notation and Abbreviations:' ::A bolded item name generally indicates that piece of gear that is either highly recommended, is the +1 version, is pricier than normal but very worth it, or is a rare/ex drop off a Notorious Monster, which means it's free at the cost of effort. ::CP means Conquest Points ::Sandy = San d'Oria ::Windy = Windurst ::AH stands for Auction House. ::HQ stands for "High Quality", which means the +1 version of an item ::NQ stands for "Normal Quality", which is the normal version of an item. Stat Priority As a general, mostly support or mainheal Dancer, your priorities in gearing yourself will be: *''For Hume, Tarutaru, and Mithra:'' :: 1. Accuracy :: 2. +DEX when +ACC isn't available :: 3. +STR, +Attack etc to prevent daggers from hitting for 0 against high-defense monsters, or if you often find yourself hitting for 0 :: 4. Evasion/AGI for survivability when you steal hate and soloing *''For Galka and Elvaan:'' :: 1. Accuracy :: 2. +DEX when +ACC isn't available :: 3. Evasion/AGI :: 4. +STR, +Attack 'WHY USING CHR+ GEAR IS NOT IMPORTANT FOR YOUR EARLY LEVELS:' :*How much you cure for a waltz are affected by two things: your target's VIT, and your own CHR. :*However, if you examine the formulas for waltzes (See: Curing Waltz, Curing Waltz II, Curing Waltz II), you'll see that the ratio of additional HP healed to additional CHR+ is less than one-to-one. It is 0.25 for CWI, 0.5 for CWII, and 0.75 for CWIII. :*This means that if you have invested in about maybe CHR+20 worth of gear, it would only translate into 4~15 additional HP healed for Curing Waltz I~III, which personally I think is really not worth it at all considering the amount of money and inventory space you'd need to sacrifice for it. :*The ratio of CHR+ to additional HP healed is exactly 1:1 for Curing Waltz IV, so it means however much CHR added through equipment is however much additional HP you'll heal for. This is slightly better, but not by much. It is up to you whether you want to invest in a CHR+ set, although having an additional CHR+ may help boost your Dancing Edge weapon skill. Personally by level 60 macroing your AF body for the 10% waltz potency boost should more than overdo any CHR+ you could add. Low Levels 1-23 During these lower levels, you have a lot more choices regarding weapons. If you sub MNK, definitely go for a Hand-to-Hand Weapon. If you prefer to use dagger or swords because of merits in either category then do so. I'm not saying to buy all the weapons here, just pick one and stick with it! Weapons :*Lv.10 Royal Archer's Cesti (Sandy CP item) ACC+3 Damage+2 ::Lv.10 Legionnaire's Knuckles (Bastok CP item) ACC+2 Attack+3 ::Lv.10 Royal Archer's Sword (Sandy CP item) - one of the best damage/delay NQ swords for its level. ::*Lv.12 Burning Cesti - Price isn't too bad for a HQ item with ACC. Averages 2k across servers ::*Lv.13 Knife - buy it from the NPC, don't use AH! ::*Lv.20 Mercenary's Knife (Windy CP Item) - this is a weird one. It's quite cheap on some servers, fairly tolerable on most, and sucks for you if you're on Diabolos. If you're on one of those unfortunate servers, ask a Windurstian friend to buy these with CP for you if you're not from Windurst. These will serve you well until level 30. Equipment :*Lv.9 Compound Eye Circlet - Eva +5, will last you a long time if you don't have Empress Hairpin. Generally cheap on most servers, or you can do an easy quest in Windy to get it for free. Tip: try to buy it in Windy or Jeuno, it will be a lot cheaper. ::Alternatives: (but honestly, just stick with the Cmp. Eye Circlet, it's better than any of these below) :: Lv.10 Royal Footman's Bandana - AGI+1 :: Lv.14 Cotton Headband :: Lv.15 San d'Orian Bandana Equipment :*Lv.1 Race Specific Equipment :*Lv.10 Royal Footman's Vest (Sandy CP Item) - Water resistance +5 ::Lv.10 Legionnaire's Harness (Bastok CP Item) - Fire resistance +5 ::Lv.10 Doublet ::LV.10 Brass Harness - these level 10 pieces all have the same DEF so get whatever's cheapest, although the CP items offer elemental ::resistance which can be useful in the dunes (Fire resistance against gobs and water resistance against pugils and snippers!) :*Lv.15 San d'Orian Vest or ::Lv.15 Legionnaire's Harness, whichever is cheaper, these are the only lv15 Body peices that aren't overly expensive that DNC can equip. :*Lv.17 Lizard Jerkin :*Lv.21 Beetle Harness +1 - although slightly on the pricey side, I strongly recommend getting the +1 set for the evasion bonuses because you won't be getting anything new until lv.30. The HQ set isn't that much more expensive than the NQ, and is definitely worthwhile. Since DNC doesn't get a lot of equipment choices, at times we are forced to buy the Higher Quality of lower-level items to tide us through the higher levels. If money is an issue, by the NQ first, and upgrade to the HQ Body by level 25 at the latest. Equipment :*Lv.1 Race Specific Equipment :*Lv.10 Royal Footman's Gloves - Attack+3 :*Lv.14 Battle Gloves - I am not kidding you when I say you literally NEED these. Yes, they are pricey for the level (Price range from about 4k~17k across all servers, averaging around 10k) but hey, you can basically wear these until AF hands, which are level 52. That's like spending only 264 gil per level on your hands until level 52. They can be farmed from the chests in King Ranperre's Tomb for free, the keys have a half-decent drop rate with TH1 and I've gotten these gloves 3 times out of 10 tries so it's not that rare. Do NOT skimp on these gloves! you are 16 levels away from your first Accuracy Bonus trait, you have no A skill in any weapon, you will need these, badly. :*Lv.17 Lizard Gloves - Don't buy these. Get the Battle Gloves. :*Lv.21 Beetle Mittens +1 - Don't buy these!!! GET THE BATTLE GLOVES!! Sell about 20 stacks of crystals and you'll get them!! Equipment :*Lv.1 Race Specific Equipment :*Lv.7 Leather Trousers - buy from NPC, don't buy from AH, and sell it back to AH for profit after you're done :*Lv.11 Brais or ::Lv.11 Brass Subligar. Both are quite equally ugly. :*Lv.17 Lizard Trousers ::Lv.20 Royal Footman's Trousers if the Beetle Subligar is too expensive. :*Lv.21 Beetle Subligar/'Beetle Subligar +1' - this one you can get away with buying the NQ version since you get a pants upgrade at level 25, but I'd still recommend the +1. Don't worry, this item actually looks like pants, not panties. Equipment :*Lv.1 Race Specific Equipment :*Lv.7 Bounding Boots - drops off Leaping Lizzy, which IMO is even more of a pain in the arse to camp than Valkurm Emperor. However, if you have these they pretty much will last you until AF. For the less fortunate, we have the other options below: ::Lv.7 Leather Highboots :*Lv.10 Royal Footman's Boots (Sandy CP item) - the Bastok equivalent has 1 less DEF, wouldn't recommend it, if you can't get these choose one of the level 11 and 12 options, other wise just stick with these until lv.15 or 17 :*Lv.11 Brass Leggings \ ::Lv.11 Gaiters > these all have the same stats, check whichever is cheapest at your local AH. No need to upgrade until lv. 15 or 17ish ::Lv.12 Holly Clogs / ::*Lv.15 San d'Orian Boots ::*Lv.17 Lizard Ledelsens ::*Lv.21 Beetle Leggings +1 - if you don't have bounding boots I DEFINITELY recommend you get the +1 because you can basically keep these until level 50 if you wanted. The next viable alternative is at level 30 and even still, it's not even an improvement, just an alternative. Slot :*Lv. 1 Happy Egg - obtainable for free from the annual Easter egg-hunt event. :*Lv. 15 Rogetsurin - I highly highly recommend you get this. Very easy to camp and it's a 100% drop. Mob pops on new or full moon in Konschtat Highlands and easily soloable by a level 30 job, which you should have if you've unlocked DNC. Not only is it the earliest ranged weapon DNC can equip, it also offers a nice AGI+1. I actually get asked to pull on Dancer quite often, so it's rather important that you have it, and will last you until your level 40 AF weapon. It's honestly not that hard to camp and not to mention it's FREE! Waist :*Lv.1 Blood Stone - HP+5 pick either this or the lv.7 belt, they're about equally useful IMO :*Lv.7 Leather Belt - buy from NPC, don't buy from AH, and sell it back to AH for profit after you're done. :*Lv.15 Warrior's Belt/'Warrior's Belt +1' - definitely worth getting, you won't need a new belt until Lv.30, don't bother with the lv.17 Lizard Belt if you have this. :*Lv.17 Lizard Belt - don't get it if you have the warrior's belt. Back :*Lv.4 Rabbit Mantle - personally I wouldn't bother with a back piece until level 13 one, but if you really want it and don't have a travelers, it'll last til Lv.17 :*Lv.13 Traveler's Mantle - Pricey so go camp it. Drop rate is around %15 but Spook pops up to 3 times every game day and is easily killable by a level 20 character so go get yourself one, it's quite nice and will last you until Lv.24 or possibly beyond. :*Lv.17 Lizard Mantle if you didn't get the Traveler's. :*Lv.18 Dhalmel Mantle if you didn't get the Traveler's or the Lizard. Neck :*Lv.7 Wing Pendant - Very easy Sandy quest item, so it's free! :: Alternatives if you have them lying around: ::Lv.7 Regen Collar ::Lv.7 Justice Badge ::Lv.7 Leather Gorget ::Lv.10 Green Scarf ::Lv.15 Bird Whistle - honestly, you can get away without bothering with neck pieces until Spike Necklace, so if you're really on a budget, don't bother buying a neck piece at this level unless you already have it. :*Lv.21 Spike Necklace - Don't even touch the NQ version (Fang Necklace), while being the HQ this is a fairly standard piece of gear for all melee and this will last you a long time. Make the investment, it's affordable at this level for most servers (ranging from a mere 2.2k~10k across all servers, averaging at about 7.5k). Rings :*Lv.14 Amethyst Ring/'Balance Ring' x2 - The Balance rings may be a little pricey for new players, so in that case get the Amethyst Rings and upgrade to the Balance rings by level 25. Earrings :*Lv.21 Beetle Earring +1 x2 - I would insist on getting the HQ. Although they have -evasion, these will help prevent you from hitting for 0 and are melee/DD earrings that are acceptable to wear until very high levels, so get the HQ now and you pretty much won't have to worry about upgrading ever again until you start to get serious about your gear in the end-game levels. :* Pre-21 there aren't any earrings that are either 1) useful to DNC or 2) worth the price and/or the short duration of time in which you can wear it. If you happen to have earrings lying around, wear them, but I wouldn't, say, buy bone earrings for the sole purpose of gearing DNC when you can party or even solo from level 16 to 21 in a blink of an eye. *'TIP': Buy equip with your nation's CP if it's something you can use. If you need a CP item of another nation, try to ask a friend from that nation with points to spare to buy it for you, and/or offer to get them CP items from your nation in return. If you have to buy CP items with gil, always ALWAYS go to the nation to buy it. CP items in the nation that offers that particular CP item will ALWAYS be cheaper. Also, low-level equipment such as Lizard gear oftentimes sell for much cheaper in Jeuno/Whitegate than in starter cities (Sandy, Windy, Bastok); if you do not have Jeuno/Whitegate access, but have a friend who does, send them money and ask them to buy it for you there and send it to your delivery box to save money. Mid Levels 24-49 This is the time to start switching to daggers, as your low skill rating in H2H and Sword really start to show; you'll be having a hard time getting TP otherwise. NIN is arguably the best sub for you during these levels, so you can dual wield daggers for the additional ACC boosts (and Utsusemi for survival). Weapons :*Lv.30 Mercenary Captain's Kukri (Windy CP Item) - ACC+3 each or to save your wallet you may want to keep on to your Mercenary's Knifes and hold out 4 more levels for the Windy Kukris. :*Lv.34 Windurstian Kukri ACC+2 Attack+5 in nations not under your control. These will last you until lv.46. With the exception of Titan and Valefor, these knives are quite affordable on most servers, averaging 5~10k. If you are already dual-wielding Merc. Cpt Kukris, skip this. :*Lv.46 Bone Knife +1 - ACC+5 Attack +5. GET THE HQ. NO ARGUING. GET IT. Even the +1 is dirt cheap across all servers for the stats it gives. Dual wield both and you might even be able to get away with just eating meat instead of sushi in exp parties. This is basically good until 59. Equipment :*Lv.24 Empress Hairpin - If you can get it. Dropped off Valkurm Emperor which is soloable by most 35+ jobs. May be hard to camp but persistence will pay off and it is really worthwhile, being the best mid-level head piece for all melee jobs. If you are lazy, or don't care, stick with your compound eye circlet. Equipment :*Lv.30 Mercenary Captain's Doublet - Windy CP Item, good 'til Lv.45 :*Lv.45 Brigandine - the price is quite nice for it's stats. Can technically last you until the mid-50s. Equipment :*Lv.14 Battle Gloves - Hi, you're still wearing these. You might be sadface, but your wallet will be happy. :*Lv.27 Custom M Gloves/'Custom F Gloves' - Hume RSE (not sure about other races), while 1 ACC less than battle gloves (1-handed weapons: 3DEX=2ACC), these also have 3STR and a little hp/mp. STR and DEX are fairly common WS modifiers if you ever need to ws on DNC. Also increases attack and crit. hit rate slightly at the expense of -1 to VIT and AGI which shouldn't make much of an overall difference. Worthwhile if you can live with 1 less ACC and are looking to improve damage. Equipment :*Lv.25 Republic Subligar - better for exp Party/DD setup ::or :*Lv.25 San d'Orian Trousers/'Kingdom Trousers' - better for solo/evasion gear setup These will be on the pricey side for this level. In most situations the Republic Subligar is the better investment, but also more pricey. These (except the San d'Orian Trousers) are actually both +2 blue box pants, which means they're the HQ of an upgrade, which is why they're expensive for the level. However, there really isn't any other pants for DNC this level that isn't completely useless. Pleeeease buy one of these pants, unlike other jobs, you don't get a reasonable alternative until level 50, and even then these pants can last you until AF pants (Lv58), so you need a pair that will tide you over until that time. If you need time to farm up enough money, stick with the Beetle Subligar +1 but definitely upgrade into one of these by level 30 at the very latest. Equipment :*Lv.30 [Captain's Gaiters - DEF:5 AGI+1, or you could actually just stick with your Beetle Leggings +1 if you prefer. :*Lv.45 Carapace Leggings +1 - if you really insist on upgrading. The NQ provides no worthwhile stat boosts and is not worth it, and the HQ essentially does the same thing as Beetle Leggings +1 with a tiny bit more defense, so not really worth the price in my opinion; there is a much better upgrade at level 50, and the difference in defense is incredibly insignificant. Slot :*Lv.30 RSE Sachets :: Attar Sachet (Elvaan F} :: Olibanum Sachet (Elvaan M) :: Millefleurs Sachet (Hume F) :: Balm Sachet (Hume M) :: Sweet Sachet (Tarutaru M&F) :: Musk Sachet (Galka) :: Civet Sachet (Mithra) :*Lv.40 War Hoop (Dancer AF Weapon) - Yay, free stuff. Waist :*Lv.30 Mercenary Captain's Belt - Windy CP Item, which will last you until level 40, when you get :*Lv.40 Tilt Belt - ACC+5 nomnomnomnomnom. This is dirt cheap across all servers, get it NAO. It will last you 8 levels. :*Lv.48 Life Belt - ACC+10 "So good and yet quite cheap. Buy one now if you can use it, no excuses." -- Raenryong of Bahamut. ::Yes, it IS worth it to upgrade to the life belt from tilt belt. Life belt starts to get in the 10-20ks (30~40k on some unfortunate servers) But it will last you a LONG time and as a Dancer you can get away with using this instead of the much more expensive Potent Belt at Lv.60 or the hard to get Swift Belt. Neck :*Lv.33 Peacock Amulet/Peacock Charm - I am putting this item here purely for the reason that you will look at the AH prices for this thing and be exceedingly grateful for the existence of equipment guides that do not assume that all players possess gil in astronomical numbers. On the other hand, if you do have this, you have a lot more leeway when it comes to picking and choosing your other equipment. :*Lv.21 Spike Necklace - just use this. It's still good. Rings :*Lv.30 Shikaree Ring - drops off Stroper Chymes in Ordelle's Caves, but be warned this is a painfully rare drop, and most jobs can't solo these at level 30. :*Lv.30 Rajas Ring - if you have it (Ring from completing CoP missions) :*Lv.34 Venerer Ring - this can be gotten for free from a CoP (Chains of Promathia) quest Chasing Dreams if you are that far into the CoP missions. Otherwise, it can be bought on AH and is a cheaper alternative to the Woodsman Rings. :*Lv.36 Deft Ring - DEX+3 rings, if you cannot afford any of the ACC rings :*Lv.40 Woodsman Ring - NQ version of a Sniper's Ring. If you are using DEX rings still, and cannot get a Shikaree or a Venerer's, then start saving up for at least one of these. Aim to get one by level 50 or sooner) :*Lv.49 Ecphoria Ring - dropped off Skogs Fru in East Ronfaure [S]. A very worthwhile investment, this ring gives Store TP+1 as well as ACC+4. This NM can take up to 3 hours to pop, and is soloable by a 75 job, but you may need help if you are lower level. Definitely look into acquiring one of these either by camping the NM or buying it off the AH, price-wise this ring is much more affordable compared the Woodsman, Archer's or Sniper Rings, less than half the price of woodsmans on most servers. Earrings :*Lv.29 Dodge Earrings - If you have them lying around from leveling Ninja, but it's perfectly acceptable to remain with your Beetle Earring +1s as well. :*Lv.36 Drone Earrings - I prefer these for farming, since the Weaponskill Cyclone has an AGI modifier, but it's perfectly acceptable to remain with your Beetle Earring +1s as well. Back :*Lv.24 Nomad's Mantle - logical upgrade from the Lv. 13 Traveler's Mantle. Lasts you well into the Mid-high levels. Mid-Hi Levels 50-64 (IN PROGRESS) Once you get the scorpion harness and get your Accuracy Bonus Trait at level 60, it's a good time to start letting go of your lower level ACC-boosting daggers in favor of heavier base damage daggers. A general rule is to pick heavier damage over lower delay at this point (level 59+). Heavier base damage will serve you much better in terms of better Weapon Skill damage and better DPS/DOT (Damage Per Second/Damage Over Time). For this reason I would not recommend the Lv.53 Darksteel Knifes or the Lv.60 Cermet knives. 'Weapons' :*Lv.59 Darksteel Kukri - cheap daggers for this level range, good base damage and decent delay :*Lv.62 Cermet Kukri - about the same price as Darksteel Kukris, but have same base damage and only 6 less delay, which equates to 1/10th of a second faster....not worth it in my opinion. If you want to upgrade, upgrade to the 'Darksteel Kukri +1' or 'Cermet Kukri +1, which will last you until Lv.69/Lv.70. Equipment :*Lv.54 Dancer's Tiara - Your AF Head peice. These have to be bought by trading materials to Matthias. You really can't avoid buying these, but if you think it's getting too expensive, stop leveling Dancer. The rest of your AF peices will be even more expensive, not to mention the accessory upgrades you will need past the 60s. If you have a good melee/DDing headpeice (such as Emperor Hairpin/Empress Hairpin) I would wear those and just swap the tiara in during sambas and waltzes (for the enmity down). Equipment :*Lv.50 Rapparee Harness - This is "technically" free, but involves a long, arduous quest and access to Phomiuna Aqueducts, and money to buy the outfit that Brygid asks you to wear. The armor that Brygid requests for you to wear can be sold right back to the Auction House after you finish the quest for only the loss of Auction House fees, but the problem with this is that she often asks for rare, high-level and pricey crafted-only items, which can be a problem. You won't actually lose much money to get this piece, but you will need sufficient base funds (and patience in waiting for things to become available/get sold on AH) in case she asks for something retarded. So why go through all this trouble? The haste+4% on these piece makes it a hands-down winner, not to mention it looks really cool as well. :*Lv.55 Jaridah Peti - if you can't afford the Scorpion Harness in time for level 57 this is a cheaper alternative, but it's really considered embarassing to be seen past lv.57 without an SH. :*Lv.57 Scorpion Harness - a whopping +10 to both ACC and Evasion. Who can say no to that? For the high demand and the great stats to this peice the price is actually fairly reasonable, although it might take awhile to save up for. With accuracy being the lifeblood of Dancers, this is definitely an essential, if not the most important piece of gear in these levels, particularly since your next level of Accuracy Bonus trait isn't until level 60, so you will start to miss a lot more in the late 50s and will need all the ACC you can get to get you to 60. This is honestly the only real piece of expensive-ish equipment that I would consider a DNC gimp for if they don't have it, so don't level to 57 until you have enough money to afford it! Farm farm farm farm farm! :*Lv.60 Dancer's Casaque - finally, the last peice of your Artifact Armor set! Please do not full time your AF bodypeice. Like your AF Tiara, it functions best as a macro-in peice. The AF body is in every way inferior to the benefits of a Scorpion Harness, or the Rapparee Harness if you have it. The DEX+2 from the AF body is easily overshadowed by the ACC-boost and by wearing an ACC body you can eat meat and get much more than the STR+2 of the AF body. Unless you have a Peacock Charm/Peacock Amulet in combination with one or more of the following: Woodsman or Sniper's Rings x2, Optical Hat and don't NEED more accuracy in a body armor (which, if you are reading this guide, I seriously doubt that you do), I really don't see any benefit in not wearing a Scorpion or Rapparree Harness if you have it and instead full-timing DNC AF bodypeice in EXP parties. That being said, don't forget to swap it in for your waltz macros! Equipment :*Lv.14 Battle Gloves - are you sick of orange and green yet? Happily, you can finally change this soon, at Lv.52. :*Lv.50 Crow Bracers - CAN be an option, but only for macro-in with waltzes to help reduce enmity, the extra +2 evasion down isn't good enough to wear full-time at the expense of losing the +ACC from the Battle Gloves. It really isn't worth it, since you get to wear AF Bangles in 2 levels. :*Lv.52 Dancer's Bangles - YAY FINALLY YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR GLOVES! Unfortunately, these are not quested. You have to pay a pretty penny for them. However, if you don't get them, you're losing out on a very important, if not essential piece of equipment for Dancer. These are pretty much good to wear full-time, unless you prefer to keep your Battle Gloves on and just macro these in during steps. If that's the case, prepare to stare at your Battle gloves until Lv.68. Equipment :*Lv.50 Crow Hose - A great lifesaver if you find yourself pulling hate often. However, since you get AF legs in 8 levels, you could also just stick to your Lv. 25 Republic Subligar or Kingdom Trousers if you wish. :*Lv.58 Dancer's Tights - Yay, your AF pants! And these can be quested = FREE! Equipment :*Lv.56 Dancer's Shoes - These, sadly, have to be bought. But at least with them on your jigs won't completely suck anymore. The Attack+5 and Evasion+5 are also nice. Slot :*Lv.40 War Hoop - can just stick with this, honestly Waist :*Lv.48 Life Belt - Told ya you could keep this for a long time. :*Lv.60 Potent Belt - obtainable with 10,000 Leujaoam Sanctum Assault Points. However, if you are unable to do Assault missions you may have to buy it off the AH and it costs upwards of 100k on most servers. A nice piece to upgrade to though, but if you're tight on gil, it's fine to stick with your Life Belt. Back :*Lv. 60 Bushido Cape - is quite a good investment for DNC, even if you don't sub SAM, you still get the full benefits of the cape. It is less than half the price of an Amemet+1 on 90% of all servers, although the NQ Amemet is much, much cheaper if your budget is tight. A good choice if you'd like to invest some money in a good DNC backpiece but don't want to spend as much as an Amemet+1. :*Lv. 61 Amemet Mantle - STFU about the +1. To quote some comments on FFXIAH, :: "'' you should not be considered gimp for having NQ version of this piece. It still offers a lot of great stats for a price that's unheard of. I used this piece until I decided it was time for me to own a +1 version. Nevertheless it's a great piece to own." --shamelessly plucked from '''Hitetsu' of Sylph. ::"This is ideal for someone who CAN'T afford the 250k for +1. It's a great back piece for the price of it, anyone who denies that is either stupid or..well stupid. There is nothing wrong with using this item, especially if you're running low on gil until you can get some spare for it." --quote stolen from Darkgoliath of Fairy. Neck :*Lv.60 Chivalrous Chain - this one is tricky. You can get it with 8,000 Lebros Cavern Assault Points (i.e. FREE!) but if DNC is your first 75 job, the AH price can be quite daunting, ranging from 130k~200k across all servers. However, it's really kind of embarrassing to be still wearing a spike necklace at this point, so save up and then say bye-bye to your hard-earned gil. If it's any consolation, this will last you to 75 and you can use it for all melee jobs. Alternatively, you could try asking a friend with points to spare to get it for you, or leech off friends in assaults until you get enough points to get it yourself. Rings Earrings :*Lv.55 Fang Earring/'Spike Earring' - Attack+4 Evasion-4/Attack+5 Evasion -5; upgraded versions of Beetle Earring +1. The high combined evasion down means you may not want to full-time them while soloing or tanking NMs. :*Lv.63 Coral Earring/'Merman's Earring' - Attack+5 Evasion-5/Attack+6 Evasion-6 and magic damage taken -1%/2%; these tend to be on the more pricey side. Coral earrings average at around 20k across all servers, Merman's on the other hand range from 200-300k. Keep in mind that on most servers, Spike Earrings cost less than Coral earrings while having essentially the same stats, so if you are wearing Fang Earrings thinking about upgrading to Coral, be sure to compare the prices of Coral and Spike earrings first. High Level 65-75 (IN PROGRESS) If you have decided to take Dancer this high, chances are you are starting to be more serious about your gear and are considering taking steps to make it the best it can be. To reflect this the gear choices in this guide from this point on will also start including pricier items that you may consider upgrading to, in addition of course to the cheaper yet still very useful alternatives to cater to your wallet's considerations. Weapons :*Lv.68 Kard - A great knife for its level, decent damage and low delay, and a nice CHR+5 boost, but is a rare drop from Soulstealer Skullnix from Labyrinth of Onzozo. Unless you happen to have it already or if you are really really determined to get it for that level, I wouldn't bother with it because the Behemoth Knife easily replaces it in terms of usefulness, making the usefulness of this weapon last only 2 levels. :*Lv.70 Behemoth Knife - Very, very cheap. Very, very worthwhile. Hurray for overrated +1s making equally decent NQs so much more affordable for the stingy of wallet! Recommended to go for the Behemoth Knife +1 for DNC/SAMs or Dancers subbing anything other than NIN. DNC/NINs are fine with dual wielding two NQs, but suggested to upgrade main weapon slot to the Behemoth Knife +1 eventually, particularly since most of the decent weapons after this level are only obtainable from BCNMs or other similarly difficult means. (Offhand can be replaced with Joyeuse) :*Lv.70 Joyeuse - due to its ability to almost constantly attack twice, arguably the best offhand weapon for best TP gain for Dancers. It's free since you can't buy it, but good luck camping this! :*Lv.72 Augmented/ Gully - in particular, the one that drops from the ANNM Scythefang Liger. It has the possible augments of :: *Attack +4~5 :: *Delay -2~8% :: *Agility +2 :: *Charisma +1~2 :: which makes it a decent offhand dagger, particularly if you get a delay -% augment. A normal Gully is also not bad of a choice for a 2nd dagger, however, the price is at least twice of the Behemoth Knife on all servers. :*Lv.72 Ermine's Tail - arguably one of the best daggers for Dancers out there. It has the highest base damage as well as highets DPS rating of all daggers equippable by DNC, as well as a delicious evasion+8. It is a rare weapon drop from |Moblin Maze Mongers The Guide, so it's very hard to obtain. :*Lv.73 Heart Snatcher also a decent offhand dagger IF the latent is broken. It has fairly good DPS but if you're looking to upgrade your offhand the [Knife +1 or even the NQ is a much better choice. Equipment :*Lv.68 Cobra Cap - part of the Cobra Cap Set from Windurst (S), requires 40,000 Allied Notes or 60,000 Allied Notes if you're from another nation and a campaign medal in the Emblems category. You can earn Allied Notes by participating in Campaign: Quickstart Guide (Requires Wings of the Goddess expansion pack). A great piece to add to your TP set, the entire Cobra Unit set is well worth it so even if you don't campaign often, it's worth it to do so just to get this set. :*Lv.70 Optical Hat - stupendously awesome piece of gear, stupendous amounts of work required to get it, and stupendously ridiculous-looking to boot. 100% drop from defeating the Hakutaku NM, but the money you may end up spending in the process of beating that NM may be considerable. Farm the eyes yourself and make a Master Alchemist friend to reduce costs. Knowing a few good BSTs will also come in handy. :*Lv.72 Etoile Tiara - part of Dancer's Relic armor, obtainable from Dynamis. :*Lv.72 Panther Mask - haste +2% as well as a decent +5 boost to your CHR (good for Dancing Edge if you don't have Evisceration unlocked!). Great piece to add to your haste gear. :*Lv.72 Enkidu's Cap - this is part of the Enkidu's Harness Set that drops from ZNMs (Zeni Notorious Monsters), so they are very difficult to get since these NMs typically require a full alliance to beat. Equipment :*Lv.57 Scorpion Harness - it's perfectly acceptable to still be wearing this or your Rapparee Harness at this level, since most of the other body pieces are hard to obtain and cannot be bought. :*Lv.75 Etoile Casaque - part of Dancer's Relic armor, obtainable from Dynamis. :*Lv.72 Enkidu's Harness - part of the Enkidu's Harness Set that drops from ZNMs (Zeni Notorious Monsters) Equipment :*Lv.68 Cobra Mittens - part of the Cobra Cap Set, requires 40,000 Allied Notes or 60,000 Allied Notes if you're from another nation and an Emblem medal. :*Lv.71 Etoile Bangles - Obtainable from Dynamis, but is easily one of the weakest pieces of Dancer's Relic armor, although it gives evasion+5 and Attack+5 I'm not really sure what you want to do with the enmity+2. Is easily overshadowed by the other equipment available at this level. I would really only get this piece just to be able to store the whole set, it doesn't offer too much as a full-time piece. :*Lv.72 Enkidu's Mittens - part of the Enkidu's Harness Set that drops from ZNMs (Zeni Notorious Monsters) Equipment :*Lv.68 Cobra Subligar - part of the Cobra Cap Set, requires 50,000 Allied Notes or 75,000 Allied Notes if you're from another nation and a campaign medal in the Wings category. :*Lv.72 Enkidu's Subligar - part of the Enkidu's Harness Set that drops from ZNMs (Zeni Notorious Monsters) :*Lv.74 Etoile Tights - part of Dancer's Relic armor, obtainable from Dynamis. The Haste+3% makes this a great piece to have. Equipment :*Lv.68 Cobra Leggings - part of the Cobra Cap Set, requires 50,000 Allied Notes or 75,000 Allied Notes if you're from another nation and a campaign medal in the Wings category. :*Lv.72 Enkidu's Leggings - part of the Enkidu's Harness Set that drops from ZNMs (Zeni Notorious Monsters) :*Lv.73 Etoile Shoes - part of Dancer's Relic armor, obtainable from Dynamis. Slot Waist Back :*Lv.70 Etoile Cape - part of Dancer's Relic armor, obtainable from Dynamis. Neck :Lv. 73 Love Torque - drop from Jailer of Love; not very easy for the average player to obtain at all, but something to keep in mind if you are highly active in endgame. Rings Earrings What NOT to Buy :*Lv.20 Trump Crown - It may look tempting, but it's totally not worth it for that price, unless you are subbing WHM for whatever reason. The added CHR+ will do diddlysquat for your waltzes at this level. However, if you happen to have this lying around from a mage job, it's an acceptable headpiece, but don't buy it for the sake of DNC. :*Lv.35 Leggings, Lv.38 Ebony Sabots - Wtf NO. Anyone not completely retarded will know that a lower-level item with stat boosts is better than a higher level item with none. Just because DNC can equip this doesn't mean it's useful. You can't stack enough DEF on DNC to make it make you less squishy, your best chance at survival lies in Evasion gear. While these are dirt cheap, this is not a How-to-Dress-your-DNC-in-Gear-That-Have-Absolutely-No-Usefulness-Guide, this is a How-to-Spend-the-Least-Amount-of-Money-on-Your-DNC-While-Not-Appearing-Completely-Worthless-Guide. Credits & Thank Yous FFXI AH for Cross-server price research Dancer: Guide to Weapons and Armor Guide and the Dancer Equipment Guide Chart for providing a basis to reference off of. Thanks to that one Quintessential WHM Equipment guide written for the poor. It was a great guide for WHMs on a budget and had some really great humor, and was a strong source of inspiration for this guide. I can't seem to find it anymore though... Special thanks to Laude of Phoenix, a friend and 75 DNC mentor for helping me out with the higher level parts of this guide. Thanks to any and all who have contributed to this guide: User:Southerncomfort76, User:Killercat_Bis, User:Illek(Hume rse hands),... (Feel free to add your name here.)